Haptic interaction via magnetic force

Abstract

A touch-screen device, a touch-screen stylus, and a method to provide haptic feedback to a user of a touch-screen device. The method comprises steps of recognizing the relative position of the tip of a touch-screen stylus relative to a sensory surface of the touch-screen device; asserting a haptic-force signal that varies in response to the relative position; and passing a controlled, variable electric current through an electromagnetic circuit to exert a magnetic force between the touch-screen device and the touch-screen stylus, wherein the electric current is varied in dependence on the haptic-force signal.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A touch-screen device comprising:
 a position sensor configured to sense a relative position of a magnetically attractable tip of a touch-screen stylus relative to a sensory surface of the touch-screen device, the position sensor including a capacitance-sensing electrode array with a plurality of excitation electrodes; 
 an electromagnetic circuit carrying an electric current and forming, in proportion to the electric current, a magnetic force to attract the magnetically attractable tip to the sensory surface, the electromagnetic circuit including one or more of the plurality of excitation electrodes of the position sensor; and 
 a drive circuit configured to receive a haptic-force signal and to vary the magnetic force by varying the electric current in dependence on the haptic force signal, wherein the haptic-force signal is varied in dependence on the relative position. 
 
     
     
       2. The touch-screen device of  claim 1  wherein the electromagnetic circuit is one of a plurality of electromagnetic circuits of the touch-screen device, each electromagnetic circuit carrying an electric current and forming, in proportion to that electric current, a magnetic field extending to a corresponding area outside the touch-screen device, and wherein the drive circuit is configured to vary independently the electric current of each of the plurality of electromagnetic circuits in dependence on the haptic-force signal, to thereby control the magnetic field in each of the corresponding areas. 
     
     
       3. The touch-screen device of  claim 2  wherein the touch-screen stylus is one of a plurality of touch-screen styluses usable concurrently on the touch-screen device, wherein the position sensor is configured to sense a relative position of a tip of each of the touch-screen styluses relative to the sensory surface, and wherein the drive circuit is configured to vary independently the electric current of each of the plurality of electromagnetic circuits in dependence on a haptic-force signal provided independently for each touch-screen stylus. 
     
     
       4. The touch-screen device of  claim 1  wherein the electromagnetic circuit is integrated into the position sensor or into a display layer of the touch-screen device. 
     
     
       5. The touch-screen device of  claim 1  wherein the electromagnetic circuit comprises plural concentric windings formed at an intersection of excitation and sensory electrodes of the electrode array. 
     
     
       6. The touch-screen device of  claim 1  wherein the electromagnetic circuit comprises parallel excitation electrodes of the electrode array, which carry current in opposite directions. 
     
     
       7. The touch-screen device of  claim 1  wherein the magnetically attractable tip includes a permanent magnet, and wherein the drive circuit is configured to reverse a direction of the electric current to exert a repulsive magnetic force on the touch-screen stylus. 
     
     
       8. The touch-screen device of  claim 1  further comprising a force sensor responsive to a contact force of the tip of the touch-screen stylus on the sensory surface, and wherein the drive circuit is configured to vary the electric current further in dependence on output of the force sensor. 
     
     
       9. The touch-screen device of  claim 8  wherein the force sensor includes a resistive touch-screen overlay integrated with a capacitive position sensor. 
     
     
       10. A touch-screen stylus for a magnetically attractable touch-screen device, the touch-screen stylus comprising:
 an electromagnetic circuit arranged at a tip of the touch-screen stylus, the electromagnetic circuit carrying an electric current and forming, in proportion to the electric current, a magnetic force to attract the touch-screen device to the tip; 
 a drive circuit configured to receive a haptic-force signal and to vary the magnetic force by varying the electric current in dependence on the haptic-force signal, wherein the haptic force signal is varied in dependence on a relative position of the tip relative to a sensory surface of a touch-screen device; and 
 a force sensor responsive to a contact force of the tip of the touch-screen stylus on the sensory surface of the touch-screen device, wherein the drive circuit is configured to vary the electric current further in dependence on output of the force sensor. 
 
     
     
       11. The touch-screen stylus of  claim 10  wherein the magnetically attractable touch-screen device includes a permanent magnet, and wherein the drive circuit is configured to reverse a direction of the electric current to exert a repulsive magnetic force on the touch-screen device. 
     
     
       12. The touch-screen stylus of  claim 11  wherein the permanent magnet forms a uniform magnetic field at the sensory surface of the touch-screen device. 
     
     
       13. The touch-screen stylus of  claim 10  wherein the touch-screen stylus is one of a plurality of touch-screen styluses concurrently operable on the sensory surface of the touch-screen device. 
     
     
       14. A method to provide haptic feedback to a user of a touch-screen device, the method comprising:
 recognizing a relative position of a tip of a touch-screen stylus relative to a sensory surface of the touch-screen device in a position sensor of the touch-screen device, the position sensor including a capacitance-sensing electrode array with a plurality of excitation electrodes; 
 asserting a haptic-force signal that varies in dependence on the relative position; and 
 passing a controlled, variable electric current through an electromagnetic circuit of the touch-screen device to exert a magnetic force between the touch-screen device and the touch-screen stylus, wherein the electric current is varied in dependence on the haptic-force signal, and wherein the electromagnetic circuit includes one or more of the plurality of excitation electrodes of the position sensor. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14  wherein the magnetic force includes a force of attraction between the touch-screen stylus and the sensory surface of the touch-screen device, wherein the force of attraction imparts a frictional force between a tip of the touch-screen stylus and the sensory surface, and wherein the frictional force is proportional to the force of attraction. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15  further comprising temporally modulating the electric current such that the force of attraction and the frictional force are likewise modulated. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 14  wherein the electromagnetic circuit through which the controlled, variable electric current is passed is an electromagnetic circuit of the touch-screen device, and wherein the tip of the touch-screen stylus includes a permanent magnet or ferromagnetic material. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 14  further comprising sensing a contact force between the tip of the touch-screen stylus and the sensory surface of the touch-screen device, wherein passing the controlled, variable electric current through the electromagnetic circuit includes adjusting the current in a closed-loop manner so that the contact force approaches a controlled, variable setpoint value.